The Widening Gyre

An Alternative to the Western’s “Single Story” of Africa According to Chimamanda Adichie, a Nigerian writer who believes in the power of story, if one traps oneself into the narrow world of “single story” about another person or country, that person would risk a crucial misconception. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is considered as the most authentic response to contemporary Western’s literature depiction of Africa, which usually obligates the readers to only look at the “single story” that is

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre, the falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” (Yeats). Things Fall Apart tells the tragic story of a Nigerian village and its adaptation to the cultural changes that it encounters. Similar to the lost falcon in the gyre, the clan looses its way and begins to fall apart when a group of white missionaries take control of their land. The protagonist, as well as static character, Okonkwo

Chaos in Things Fall Apart and The Second Coming      Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats have been considered literary classics. Although there may be a gap between the times of publication, the themes and connotations are strikingly similar. In both works, there is a progression of chaos in time caused by change and eventually leads to an end. Inner conflict plays an important role in both works. In Things Fall Apart, the main character

reader to either accompany him in his darkness or to turn their back and continue to believe in their own form of hopefulness in spirituality.   Yeats cleverly hints to the reader his despair in the phrase, "Turning and turning in the widening gyre" (Yeats, Longman p. 2329: 1.). The reader can hear the voice of the poet describing his journey farther and farther from his once cherished center based on

euro-centrism, the white man’s burden and the silent native? ‘Things Fall Apart” starts with a poem that describes what will eventually occur, a precursor of what is to come and befall the villagers of Nigeria. “Turning and Turning in the widening gyre, The Falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things Fall Apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” –W.B. Yeats, “The Second Coming” (Achebe, 2). The way the text is written one can compare it to how things are turning and

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“Turning and turning in the widening gyre. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,”. Things Fall Apart, a story written by Chinua Achebe, depicts the African experience of European colonization in lower Niger during the 19th century through the eyes of Okonkwo, a leader of the Igbo community. Achebe centers the story around the compliance of fate and change and the role of free will in determining one's future. Achebe

word choice, meter, persona, subject, and lack of mention of Christ all collectively contribute to reflecting Yeats’ sentiments in the poem. Several lines in the poem support this mentality of despair and chaos. “Turning and turning in the widening gyre” refers to the worsening state of society with the collapse of democratic governments and economies. (1) The second line, “The falcon cannot hear the falconer” means that any sense of hierarchy and authority has been lost. The best people don’t

Coming” , the title is derived directly from the poem itself. “Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” Even before introducing the physical setting, Achebe skillfully places this poem at the beginning of the book to foreshadow the life parallelling ending of Things Fall Apart. By gyre, Yeats is referring to the twisting and constantly expanding spiral of chaos that will unfold

Conflict With in Friends “Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.” The author, Achebe, uses part of the poem “The Second Coming,” and hints at the turmoil that is intensifying as the community falls within the novel “Things Fall Apart.” (Yeats, 1) The African tribal system is beginning to have many cultural and tradition changes while